Resurrection From The Dead · Christianity For Today

I am a Christian believer.

You might wonder, why. There are many reasons. I was born into a Christian family. From my earliest days, my parents and my church taught me the basic facts of the Christian faith. I grew up in a nation that is mostly Christian. I have studied the Bible from childhood. But all of this was not enough.

As I matured into young manhood and entered college, I had to justify intellectually the Christian faith for myself. Why was I a Christian? There are other world religions. The facts of a Christian home and a mostly Christian nation did not make a strong enough basis for my faith. I needed some intellectual underpinning.

I remember so well the many doubts that flooded my mind and disturbed my emotions during my early college days. I needed to know if there was strong intellectual proof for the Christian faith. I read books. I consulted professors. I reasoned. And I wondered if I would ever get really settled in my mind and heart.

I knew, of course, that there might well be personal beliefs that I could never prove. I might have to live with a set of questions. I also came to understand that those who did not believe in God or Christ also had a lot of questions that they would have to live with as well. Somehow, I needed to know, if there was proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the Christian faith was true.

Before I graduated from college and made my way to graduate theological training, I indeed came to a basic resolution of my doubts and a firm belief in the existence of one eternal and living God and the total credibility of the Christian faith. For sure, I still live with a set of questions, but my belief in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, far outweighs any unanswered questions I might have. Someday in heaven all my outstanding questions will be answered. In the meantime, I live with the certainty that Jesus Christ is the God-Man who saves us from our sins and gives us the gift of eternal life. I am at rest in this faith.

There were several things that gave me intellectual certitude and emotional peace about the Christian faith. First, the Bible. This is the primary source of my information. It is really God's self-revelation. I learn of God's many attributes: holiness, love, power, justice and mercy. The Old Testament tells me of God's plan to save the sinful human race through the gift of His Son. The New Testament tells me of the supreme gift of Jesus Christ and how through him we may be saved from eternal ruin.

One might say, well, there are also other holy books in the other religions. What makes this one-the Judeo-Christian Bible-anything but a myth? Four things. The Bible is a book rooted in history. We know this from the finds of archeology. It was also written my men who were persons of truth. Many of them died for their faith. Furthermore, it is a record of many miracles. God is a God of miracles. He spoke His Word and backed it up with miracles. That's impressive, I think. Then, the Old Testament predicted the coming of Jesus and the New Testament tells of that coming.

Jesus Christ entered time and space. No one seriously doubts the existence of the historical Jesus. The New Testament gives us his matchless teachings. It also tells of the claims he made to divinity. Of course, one can believe it or not believe it. I believe it and this is why.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, was place in a tomb and rose again to life on the third day. He was really dead. He was really placed in a tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. On the third day, the stone was rolled back to reveal that Jesus was no longer in that tomb. He had risen (John 20). And he appeared over a period of 40 days to his disciples and on one occasion to a very large crowd. All of this was reported by the disciples of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. These men were honest and most of them gave their lives not for a great deception but rather for a great truth-the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I think, more than any other, the validity of the report of Jesus' resurrection is what gave me final certitude that the Christian faith is true. Jesus rose from the dead. All other founders of world religions are dead. Jesus alone lives forevermore. This validates all Jesus claimed for himself and did for us. The resurrection is enough for me! I serve a living Savior.

One other thing. Because Jesus lives, those who believe in him will also live. That is the teaching of the Bible. Yes, we will die physically. Our bodies will be placed in the grave. But one day, Jesus will return to earth and all the dead in Christ will rise from the dead to be forever with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:17-18). This is our "blessed hope."

I am a Christian believer because of the reliability of the Bible message and the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And, of course, there are a whole lot of other reasons as well, not the least being that Jesus has changed my heart and life for the better.

Editor's Note: Garden Tomb, Isreal picture courtesy of freestockphotos.com.